Editing Metamorphosis Alpha

{{stub}}

'''Metamorphosis Alpha''' is a [[Post-Apocalyptic]] [[Science Fantasy]] roleplaying game created by James M. Ward and originally published by [[TSR]] all the way back in the hoary forgotten age of 1976, leading to some to consider it the very first sci-fi RPG to ''ever exist''!

The game is set within the decaying interior of the generation ship ''Warden'', an enormous starfaring vessel intended to house hundreds if not thousands of humans in its sublight voyage through space to a far-flung unsettled colony world, with generations of children being born to replace those who died of old age upon the voyage and raised up to take their progenitor's place - hence the term "generation ship". Now, this would have all been hunky-dory, except something went wrong and the majority of the humans aboard the ship were wiped out, whilst the Warden was flooded with radiation and alien flora, fauna and fungi. Now, who-knows-fucking-when later, the Warden has become inhabited by techno-[[barbarian]] tribes of humans, [[mutant]]s, sapient plants and animals (which could be mutants, aliens or both), [[cyborg]]s, [[clone]]s and [[robot]]s, none of whom realize that their "world" is an artificial environment gone to shit and all struggling to survive against the many, many, ''many'' nasties now inhabiting it.

Basically, think of it as a cross between old-school [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Red Dwarf]], and you've kind of got the basic gist of things. In fact, the D&D module [[S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks]] is officially the result of a piece of the Warden somehow detaching and crash-landing in a mountain range in [[Greyhawk]].

It's generally regarded as the "precursor" to TSR's ''other'' [[Post-Apocalyptic]] [[Science Fantasy]] RPG, [[Gamma World]].

=Playable Races/Mechanics=
The original race setup for Metamorphosis Alpha was Human, Mutant Human, Mutant Animal, and Mutant Plant, with [[Dragon Magazine]] adding the rules for [[cyborg]]s, [[robot]]s and clones.

Players have five characteristics: radiation resistance, mental resistance, dexterity, strength, and constitution. Humans have a sixth characteristic, leadership potential, while mutated humans and creatures add a random number of mutations, both physical and mental. Metamorphosis Alpha's combat rules resemble those in the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

=Dragon Articles=
Issue #4's article was "Notes on the Androids on the Starship Warden", which provides further details behind the history of one of the more subtle menaces of the Warden, the [[Android]]s.

Isue #5 contained three articles relating to Metamorphosis Alpha:
* "Some Ideas Missed in Metamorphosis Alpha" provides expanded descriptions of chemical radiation neutralizers, chemical flammable retardants, radioactive material in containment, and sensory intensifiers. It also provides some justifications about how poisons are not as unbalanced as they seen, and corrects an error that the corebook asked for Leadership Potential to be checked against Item Complexity Level, when it was ''supposed'' to be Mental Resistance.
* "Tribal Society and Hierarchy on Board the Starship Warden" elaborates a little on the titular subject.
* "How Green Was My Mutant" provides a new set of random appearance generation tables for humans and especially human mutants.

Issue #6 contained the article "An Alternate Beginning Sequence for Metamorphosis: Alpha". In this article, [[clone]]s are added to the library of freaks and weirdos aboard the Warden, with the reveal that one of the emergency countermeasures the Warden was equipped with was a cloning bank, programmed to generate fast-grown clones of deceased personnel should a massive breakdown of skilled labor or the chain of command occur - the kind of mass die-off where there simply wasn't ''time'' to wait for the usual procedure of educating kids born to the survivors to fill the role. Unfortunately for the Warden, the same catastrophe that triggered the protocol was also so severe it knocked the damn clone bank offline, until random chance saw it finally restored to functionality in the "now" of the game. As a result, between damage and decay, the clones have distinct gaps in their artificially-programmed knowledge, as well as the issue that the current state of the Warden doesn't exactly mesh with their out-of-date info! Not to mention that many of them are as mutated as their [[barbarian]] descendants. Basically, clones serve as a new player race, allowing for more skilled and "meta-aware" player characters, though you could always form a mixed party of clones and tribals.

Issue #8's "Still More Additions to MA" provides descriptions and stats for an assortment of new mutated plants and animals to bedevil your players.

Issue #13's "The Bionic Supplement" was a quarter-page-long sidebar that provides simple mechanics for having bionic replacements for various limbs or organs.

Issue #14 featured the self-explanatory "Robots as Players in Metamorphosis Alpha". [[Robot]] PCs are recommended as expendable scouts created by a relatively advanced, secretive and ''very'' paranoid tribal culture hidden somewhere in the Warden's depths; programmed with the need to explore, these robots are sent off to wander and adventure until they meet their doom, broadcasting one-way radio and even visual transmissions to their creators. These robots will happily join bands of tribal explorers, sticking with them until eventually they meet their demise. Who knows? If the band is very successful, a replacement robot may be hastily constructed and sent out to join up with them!

Issue #16's "Metamorphosis Alpha Modifications" provides updated and expanded rules for playing mutant characters, especially mutated animals.

Finally, issue #23's "Water Adventures on the Starship Warden" does not, despite its title, provide some basic explanations for ''how'' you can incoporate such adventures into the game. Instead, it provides a new array of hostile aquatic mutant flora and fauna to bedevil your players when you venture into the flooded regions of the ship.

=Editions & Supplements=
Metamorphosis Alpha was first published in 1976 by TSR. It was written by James M. Ward and illustrated by Dave Sutherland III.

In 1981, Ward announced plans to rewrite the game as Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega, a supplement for the 1st edition Gamma World rules (Anon 1981). The Gamma World supplement was never completed, but in 1994, TSR used the title Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega for an Amazing Engine supplement (ISBN 1-56076-851-7) written by Slade Henson.

In 2002, Ward's company, Fast Forward Entertainment, published a new version of the game, entitled Metamorphosis Alpha: 25th Anniversary Edition. It was designed by Ward himself.

In 2006, Metamorphosis Alpha 4th Edition was released by Mudpuppy Games (ISBN 0-9763601-2-8). This edition contained original material by Ward and additional new material and photography by Craig J. Brain. The book cover and interior illustrations were painted and drawn by Jim Holloway with most of the cartography by Ryan Wolfe.

In 2007, WardCo. released an official errata sheet for Metamorphosis Alpha First Edition, which is available from the official website and released a revised edition of the first-edition rules through OneBookShelf as a PDF.

In 2010, WardCo. released The House On The Hill adventure module (ISBN 145360412X) for Metamorphosis Alpha (1st edition) as a PDF through OneBookshelf and the printed edition through Amazon. The adventure was written by Craig J. Brain, with bonus content by James M. Ward. The illustrations for the adventure were by Lee Smith and Dave Sutherland III.

In 2012, WardCo. released a reprint of the original edition of the game via Lulu with the addition of a new adventure and a number of corrections.

In 2014, WardCo and Goodman Games. released a hardbound deluxe edition of the original 1st edition via kickstarter including new adventures and consolidated other content from magazines and new content.